My Bonnaroo Diary

Day 1

Eden Prairie, MN 9:14 AM

With hundreds of performances on more than nine stages, and roughly 80,000 music-loving and sweaty bodies, the 9th annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will dominate four days of the hot Manchester, Tennessee summer. Bring it on!

Farewell Minnesota, Tennessee beckons. I’m heading to Bonnaroo with my friend Scott. This is the fourth music related road trip I have embarked on with this fellow and I would argue that we are well prepared and ready for battle. We are traveling in a tricked out (not really, but I’ve always wanted to say that) Honda Pilot. It seats eight and there’s only two of us – BOSS. Anyway, we’re stopping in Chicago tonight and taking two days total to reach the final destination. On the way back, we’ll haul ass and do the trip in one day. Stay tuned for what promises to be an interesting attempt at a return home.

Chicago, IL 6:41 PM

No, we didn’t just arrive in Chicago. It took us about eight hours to get here and for some reason I drove the whole way. We got here a little after 5. We’re staying with our friend Jackie and just went to this place called Devil Dogs. I ate a Chicago style hot dog – it was legit. Road trip day two is tomorrow’€¦.

Day 2

Chicago, IL 9:42 AM

Time to hit the road – PYSCH! It’s time to hit up the Sears Tower. Do you actually think I’d hit up Chi-town and miss the Sears Tower? Well then, obviously you don’t know me!

Chicago, IL 11:46 AM

Oh my flow. Sears Tower was pretty cool.  It took a little too much time, though, and now we’re behind schedule. By the way, it’s actually called the Willis Tower now?! Weak.

Tullahoma, TN 10:57 PM

NOT HAPPY. Scott drove like a champ today and got us to Manchester, TN in an extremely fashionable time. We broke the border of Tennessee around 9:00 and hit Manchester soon after. And yet, we somehow managed to talk to the least helpful hotel concierge on the planet who was directionally confused in every way possible. I’m pretty sure this lady doesn’t know the difference between left and right – I mean that literally. She told us to take a left and it actually ended up being a right’€¦ unreal. I could be in a bathrobe watching SportsCenter drinking a kiddie cocktail by now. Instead, I just checked in and now have to go buy groceries for camping at Bonnaroo! I’m really pumped for the festival tomorrow, but right now I’m tired. Tennessee, we started off on the wrong foot. Scoreboard?

Tennessee: 1
Tastemakers: 0

I hope we can get along. By the way, the Jack Daniels distillery is a historical site here, that rules.

Day 3
Manchester, TN

Friday: 2:20 AM

Woah. Hold the phone – Friday? Crazy, I know. This is my Thursday entry coming in on Friday. Arrived through the festival gates/security/car search at about 2:00 PM today. I had been told to get here early for a good camping spot, unfortunately the will call/media ticket place was swamped and we had to wait about an hour before someone came out and told us that media didn’t have to wait – Tennessee you win again. Luckily, we actually got a really sweet spot for camping. We’re about a ten-minute walk from the festival grounds.

Tennessee: 2
Tastemakers: 1

The battle continues.

As we entered the grounds, we were handed Bonnaroo 2010 guides, which I will refer to as my Bonnaroo Bible. Hallelujah! This thing is loaded with the goods. We were quickly exposed as Bonnaroo amateurs due to our slow tent set up. However, this ended up helping us because our kind neighbor introduced himself as a six year ‘€˜Roo vet and kindly volunteered to let us in on the need-to-knows of the festival.

We ventured into the festival grounds and saw a handful of good shows on the quiet-ish Thursday. We saw Fanfarlo, The Dodos, The XX and Joshua James, who closed the first night with a 1-2 AM set. In between the Dodos and The XX, we participated in what I think is the single greatest idea ever – SILENT DISCO.

This is how it goes down: you walk into a little gated area and friendly people hand you some headphones. You put the headphones on and jam out to a live DJ with a whole gang of people while everyone else watches the silent party in amazement. My words will do it no justice. Please, if you ever get the chance, dance your pants off at a silent disco.
It’s late. Tomorrow is going to be crazy. Goodnight.

Day 4

Friday 3:01 PM

Wow. I just saw Jay Electronica invite the crowd to rush the stage during his performance. There were people everywhere and Jay was sweet, although he did interrupt and stop almost every one of his songs to do some kind of knowledge dropping or a capella freestyle, but I’m not complaining. Good show! If all goes according to plan, I’ll be seeing Damian Marley & Nas, She & Him, Tenacious D (so pumped!), followed by Michael Franti & Spearhead, Kings of Leon (not so pumped), The Flaming Lips, Kid Cudi, and possibly B.O.B. Stay in touch.

Saturday 3:09 AM

I AM TIRED. I tip my hat to you Bonnaroo; you are a more worthy competitor that I would have guessed. However, I’m going to give Tastemakers a point for this day, because I dominated.

Tennessee: 2
Tastemakers: 2

The plot thickens!

I managed to see everyone I had hoped to see excluding She & Him (so sad) and B.O.B (not so sad). Damian Marley & Nas were way better than I had expected. I’m not a huge Nas fan but I like his style and respect his music. I’ve never been a huge Damian Marley fan because I’m undecided on his rap/reggae fusion style, but the pair killed it! I’m definitely going to pick up their album Distant Relatives. Check it out if you have a chance!

So, while watching Damian Marley & Nas, we stood in this little gated line for the ‘€œpit.’€ Our lovely neighbor gave us the 411 on Bonnaroo’s adoption of a ‘€œEuropean style pit.’€ A line forms on both sides of the stage for the next set, during the preceding set. I unfortunately had to miss She & Him for this sacrifice, but it meant that I was literally in the third row for Tenacious D, which was legendary! The duo was hilarious, as expected, played fan favorites, a few newer tracks, and definitely delivered on the theatrics they that make them so funny. The D are pretty serious musicians, too. Oh, I almost forgot; Conan O’Brien emceed the main stage. He got the crowd riled up with U.S.A. chants and a few digs at other festivals.

‘€œLollapalooza?! Sounds like a God damned piece of candy!’€ he exclaimed.

We left the main stage area and caught the second half of Michael Franti & Spearhead’s set, which was all right. I’m not a big fan of Franti but I like his style and sound; it’s pretty laid back and has a happy vibe. A lot of his music ends up sounding the same, but it was good enough for me to enjoy!

Kings of Leon were predictable and put on a very well rehearsed set. There wasn’t any spontaneity and their banter was horrendous, but they’re still good musicians and it was definitely a show worth seeing. Not something I would pay to see otherwise, but something I’m glad I saw. Maybe.

FLAMING LIPS. As expected, this show was off the charts! Do people still say that? The Lips are known for their ridiculous spectacle of a live show and they did not disappoint. They were billed as ‘€˜Flaming Lips performing Dark Side of the Moon’ but they did better than that. They played a 90-minute set of their own tunes before a small break followed by Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Hard-core Floyd fans or Dark Side purists may have been put off a little bit, but for Bonnaroo and the spirit of live music and art, it was spectacular: great music, great entertainment, and a shit ton of confetti!

I saw about half of Kid Cudi’s set, who barely made it to ‘€˜Roo after being arrested on drug and assault charges in New York (way to go!). He was pretty good. I don’t know much of his stuff beyond the basic hits, but I was feeling his set. Funny man Aziz Ansari introduced his set with a cautionary, ‘€œDon’t look at Cudi in the face or you’ll get tazed the fuck up.’€ Although it seemed like everyone kept his or her eyes glued on the stage for Cudi’s entire set, which ended at 2:45 AM.

I crashed hard after Cudi and decided to call it quits before B.O.B. I’m throwing in my ‘€˜Roo towel tonight before the actual music stops. We have another big day tomorrow. Let’s hope Tastemakers stays on top!

Day 5

Sunday 1:54 AM

Hot. DAMN. Dead Weather. Stevie Wonder. Jay-Z.

Now that I’ve prepared you for an evening that will surely blow your mind, let’s start at the beginning. I saw Colombian group Bomba Estereo this morning and they were a funk and a half. I interviewed them and foolishly told them that I can kind of speak Spanish (true) so they started answering all my questions in Spanish. Translations still under way, more on that later.

After Bomba Estereo, Scott and I headed over to the Cinema Tent to catch the simulcast of Conan O’Brien’s set in the Comedy Tent (both air-conditioned!!). We lined up in the morning around 10 AM to get tickets to Conan and missed the Comedy Tent tickets by 15 people’€¦.15 PEOPLE!! Tennessee strikes again.

Tennessee: 3
Tastemakers: 2

Who will be the victor!?

Luckily we got tickets to the cinema. Conan’s set was pretty funny and it was really nice to just sit down in darkness, shade, and cool air for a little bit. The show was a good mix of comedy and music with a good splash of Bonnaroo humor.

‘€œI’ve been here for two days and I know one thing for sure: we are losing the war on drugs!’€ Conan exclaimed. He then poked fun at the exhausted Bonnaroo fans, ‘€œIn six months, I went from being host of the Tonight Show to doing gigs at a refugee camp!’€ See THIS POST for a full Conan review (different show, same idea).

We headed back to camp to refuel and get some lunch. One of the stages was situated so that we could hear the smooth sounds of Norah Jones over lunch – no complaints there. I am curious though how she ended up at Bonnaroo.

Then the madness began.

We went to the main stage and caught the Dead Weather for their 6-7:30 set. They were unreal. I had listened to them casually before but was never a die-hard fan or anything. Get out your Bonnaroo Bible because I’ve been converted! Their performance was so good. It was a really good rock and roll show, straight up. Jack White killed it on drums, guitar and vocals, and lead singer Alison Mosshart was an incredible performer. I would love to see them again.

Following the Dead Weather was the legendary STEVIE WONDER. Yes. Stevie Freaking Wonder. First of all, he opened his show by walking to center stage while absolutely tearing up a keytar jam. At that point, I heard the loudest roar from any crowd since I had been to ‘€˜Roo. Wonder then sat down behind his keyboard / clavinet combo and tore through an incredible two hour set filled with hits. Song after song I was continually impressed by how good he sounded and what an amazing show I was seeing. He even played ‘€œI Heard it Through the Grapevine’€ with a talk box and it was sick (see THIS youtube video [not mine])!! I know I won’t be able to pick a favorite Bonnaroo artist, but I have a feeling Stevie’s name would be high up on the list.

JAY-Z?! Are you kidding me?! Jay-Z played after Stevie Wonder? That sounds like the most unbelievable concert ever, and to think that it is just one night in a series of four still astounds me. Believe it, friends. It happened. HOVA dominated his two-hour set, too. He delivered a good portion of the Blueprint 3 but also touched several of his previous albums and mega hits. He was extremely grateful throughout the entire set and even took about five minutes to call out signs he saw in the audience. He even pulled a lucky fan on stage so the audience of over 50,000 could sing ‘€œHappy Birthday’€ to her. I was a little bummed that Beyoncé didn’t sing a chorus or two for him, because I heard she made an appearance at Coachella (and she was at Bonnaroo with Jay), but he did distract me with his version of ‘€œAin’t No Love’€ over U2′s ‘€œSunday Bloody Sunday.’€ Jay-Z delivered in a big way, but what else could I have expected from Mr. Carter?

Dead Weather, Stevie Wonder and Jay-Z in an eight-hour period? Definitely a point for Tastemakers.

Tennessee: 3
Tastemakers: 3

One day left.

Day 6

Monday 12:11 AM

We started this morning at 10 AM by lining up for Aziz Ansari. We got tickets to the Comedy Theatre and then wandered around for a bit and got lunch before the show. My friend Scott caught a fraction of Ingrid Michaelson’s show where she covered Brittany Spears’ ‘€œToxic.’€ We saw Aziz’s hilarious stand up set then went over to see Blues Traveler. Front man John Popper plays a mean harmonica and they were a lot of fun to watch. Following Blues Traveler, we went over to the main stage for John Fogerty, lead singer of CCR. He was great! I’ve never really listened to Fogerty or CCR but it was definitely a cool set to watch. I was surprised by how many songs I found myself singing along to. At this point, the field wasn’t too crowded and it was nice to sit down on the grass and just enjoy the sunshine and music.

Zac Brown Band followed Fogerty. I am not a country fan at all. No thanks! I couldn’t leave though because I had to hold my spot; we were trying to get into the pit for headliner Dave Matthews Band. However, I have to hand it to Zac Brown Band and their style. I’m not a country music fan and I can’t stand twang, but Brown has a rock-enough country style where it isn’t all about trucks, beer and hunting (my idea of a classic country song). I was also really impressed with this cover/mashup of Stevie Wonder’s ‘€œIsn’t She Lovely’€ mixed with John Mayer’s ‘€œNeon.’€ It was pretty cool. They also did a rowdy cover of ‘€œThe Devil Went Down to Georgia.’€ You can’t disagree with that one. It definitely wasn’t my favorite Bonnaroo set, but it was good enough to sit through.

Finally, we got into the pit and prepared ourselves for festival headliner Dave Matthews Band. I was pretty excited for this show because I’m a pretty big DMB fan, but I’ve also seen them quite a few times, so I was definitely just looking forward to another good show and a solid finish to ‘€˜Roo. Dave played a solid two and a half hour set and put on a great show! Die-hard fans may have been let down by the set list, which featured a lot of songs off their newest CD, but it was still a great show with a handful of lengthy jams. It was a great finish to Bonnaroo.

Tastemakers came. Tastemakers saw. Tastemakers conquered.

Tennessee: 3
Tastemakers: 4
Victorious!

Day 7

Eden Prairie, MN
2:34 AM
Roo Wrap Up

We got in a car accident only 20 miles outside of Bonnaroo. We hadn’t even reached Nashville yet; damn you Tennessee! Obviously the cosmos were against us because we had defeated Tennessee. That little parting gift slowed us down quite a bit, but we survived. So we will still win. My closing thoughts on Bonnaroo:

- If you get a chance, go to Bonnaroo!
- Which stage? What stage? Oh, you mean This Tent? That Tent? The Other Tent? Huh?! Those were the names of stages and tents. I appreciate the humor in these stage/tent names, but it’s actually confusing.
- It’s way too hard to pick a favorite artist, act, moment or memory from Bonnaroo. There were too many memorable and amazing things that happened. I will say that Saturday night’s Dead Weather to Stevie Wonder to Jay-Z was probably a highlight. But that’s not one act, it’s a night, so don’t call me a liar.
- Cover tunes were in full supply at Bonnaroo and here are some of my favorites that I caught:
— Tenacious D covering/medley of The Who’s Tommy and ‘€œPinball Wizard’€
— Kings of Leon covering the Pixies ‘€œWhere’s My Mind?’€
— The Flaming Lips performing the memorial tune ‘€œTaps’€
— Jay-Z doing his own ‘€œHeart of the City (Ain’t No Love)’€ over U2′s ‘€œSunday Bloody Sunday’€
— Zac Brown Band mixing ‘€œIsn’t She Lovely’€ by Stevie Wonder and ‘€œNeon’€ by John Mayer
— Blues Traveler covering Radiohead’s ‘€œCreep’€
— Michael Franti & Spearhead incorporating Michael Jackson’s ‘€œBillie Jean’€
— Dave Matthews (solo) playing ‘€œNeedle and the Damage Done’€ by Neil Young
— Dave Matthews Band covering Bob Dylan’s ‘€œAll Along the Watchtower’€ with the horn section mixing in ‘€œStairway to Heaven’€ by Led Zeppelin
- The yearly gathering is an anything-goes party for music lovers of all types.
- She & Him or Damian Marley & Nas? Steve Martin or Michael Franti? Flaming Lips or Daryl Hall & Chromeo? Sounds difficult, right? Well, that was only Friday night. Bonnaroo is too much of a good thing- and I like it!
- I met La Bamba from Conan’s band. It was awesome.

I’m sure I forgot a lot of good stuff. Were you there? Have any questions? Hit me up!